Machine and process for separating threads from fabric



7 1,628 373 1927' L. a. THOMPSON I MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR SEPARATING THREADS FROM FABRIC Filed April 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

L. I. THOMPSON MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR SEPARAT'ING THREADS FROM FABRIC May 10, 1927. 1,628,373

Filed April 2 1926 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR.

agyy/mmx ATTORNEY.

Patented May 10, 1927. i

- UNITED STATES LEWIS IRVINE THOMPSON, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

MACHINE AND rRocEss FOR SEPARATING THREADS rRoM FABRIC.

Application filed April 28, 1926. Serial No. 105,109.

My invention relates to devices for separating the threads from woven or knit fabrics in order that the fibers may then be separated from the threads and reworked without being so inuch ground up or in jured as theyare by what are known as rag picking machines.

It is my purpose to provide a machine which shall approximate the action of the thumb and forefinger in teasing or coaxing the threads from a piece of cloth or'other fabric.

It is not my purpose to seize, pinch or hook into the material, whereby it will be torn and broken, but by a graduallyprogressive plucking action, to separate the thread from the cloth.

I accomplish this by feeding the cloth or other fabric in one or more layers which are laid substantially flat upon a feedtable and then passed through feed rolls, about which rolls it does not wind. The cloth need not be fed so that some threads are parallel with the rolls, and others at right angles thereto as my machine works better if the cloth is fed at an angle.

hen the cloth leaves the feed rolls, its edge is steadily advanced until such edge comes in contact with rapidly revolving arms preferably forming part of star shaped discs which revolve in opposite di-' rections, the arms of the respective discs passing substantially between each other whereby'they have atendency totake'hold ofthe edge of the fabric.

If the adjoining edges of these arms were hooked, or of some other form, or if the arms of the two sets touched each other orwvere too close together, there would be a shearing or cutting action which I do not desire.

I therefore round the outside edges ofthe arms and allow a substantial space between adjoining discs so that while adjacent overlapping arms will catch a thread between them. they will not holdit too tight but will permit it to slip either to thefront. -tothe.

back or sideways.

This'gives a soft teasing action and where the cloth is fed at an angle so-that one end of any particular thread is loosened up before the other, that endis repeatedly pulled and slips sideways between the arms funtil finally it is either pulled apart or pulled out. 1

The continual rubbing and pulling of the disc arms and the air currents tend to straighten, untwist, expand and soften the as from the left of the line i)-3 of Fig.

Fig. i: is a diagrammatic view from the 1 top of part of the plucking discs, the bottom feed roll and a part of the edge of a piece of cloth.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a machine havmg clearer discs from the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic detail elevation showing the action of the plucking disc arms on the thread.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the end' of a thread which has passed through my machine. ii i In the drawings, 10 represents the base of my preferred type of machine and 11 repre- P5 sents the frame while at? indicates the casing in general while 42 indicates-that part of the casing which surrounds the blower ll carried by shaft 39 on a stand l0, such-blower causing a current ofair to issue out of the mouth 43, the air being carried in through, between and around the star shaped discs A and B.

The cloth 25 in one or more flat thicknesses islaid onthe table 26 and passed between the fluted feed rolls 27, 27, which are driven at a with gear 24 on shaft 14 which shaft M also carries a worm 35 in engagement with gear 34: on one end of shaft 82 carried centrally in bearing 33. 'lVorm 31 is carried on the other end of shaft 32 and slowly drives gear 30 which in turn engages gear QScarriedby shaft 29 which carries bottom roll 27, and a gear not shownwhich engages another gear 129 carried by top fluted r0112? The surface speed of these feed rolls 27. 27

is thereforeslowcompared with the high 11n speed of the star shaped discs .1 and l) which are termed respectirely with the arms (3 l. and

71, having the deprersions tit and T0 between them, and having the outer ends preterablr The arms of: these discs A and l) intersect,

or m'erlap. pre'l'eiabl several inches, or whatever amount seems to be suitable for the clas ol? material to be operated upon, and l prefer to have a Sptltt. betu'emi the respcctire arms of the two discs equal to about their thickness, and gr atcr than the diameter of the threadsv ol the material to he a: ted

upon.

l have endeavored to halicate in .l iQI. ti the action which I believe taken place on each particular thread it whether it be warp or filling when it eaches the 'l' rward position at it).

As it is advanced n the teed r lls, lalteez a position suecc; l as shown by the dotted circles. and to: it advances, it strucl'. successively by a num er o'l arms lit and T1 or rather hr their rounded laces (32 and T2.

As the iii-st contact: ol the rounded corners U2 and T2 with a thread such as =19, which is being adraneed lrolu ainonu' those indicated. in Fig. 52 by in which are still held ill'l1ll by the crossed warp threads 51) and o l. may he with the 'l'orwa rd curved surface ol such thread it}, the tendency it anything? may be to force it back.

As this thread is steadily hciug; advanced, when it arrives at the position shown at 1-15), the relatire action 01' the arms at if and is indicated by the lines oi lone dashes X, and as it still further advances to the po eition 24:9, the action tends more and more to l'orce it; 'l'orward as to the position ot the thread 83 which is acted upon by the arms A. and ll which have arrived at the position shown h the lines ol short dashes Y, I.

-is it is practically iniupossihle to lwd cloth at precisely right angles or parallel to the :leed rolls, one end at each thread will be loosened before the other end. and the action just; described will cause t" end h as shown at 81 or 81 in F p I) and to he carried forward between arms (31 and T1, but

as it is held also at the cloth, it will be pulled through the open i hetu'ecn tit) and it), and bent hacl' as at; as and hid. until as shown ing arms (51 and T1, and linall pulled apart.

51, 51, indicates the second bend in each thread at the edge ot the cloth.

In Fig. 3 .l: have indicateo successively the arms 61, 61, from right; to left by 89, 91, 93, 95, and in similar series, the: lternating over lapping arms 71 by 91), 92, 0 1, 96.

let will be seen that the end 84: of thread 823, or any other similar thread, will lirst be pulled through between the arms 90, 91, t2, and when it is again caught, as has been thrzad 80, the end 81 will be pulled through as between the arms 92, 93, 941, 95, and so on successively.

When it is finally streaming out as shown at 87, it may he caught as a warp thread 54; is shown as caught in Fig. 2, around an arm, and it: will he pulled. apart.

As shown in Fig. 7, inevery case there a pulling apart; action so that the end 88 ot each thread, whether warp or filling, is 'tlutl'y and not clean cut.

Besides this the continual rubbing of ad joining arms against opposite sides of any particular thread, either tends to twist; or untwist the thread, but; as it" is easier to untwist than to twist, this action helps to untwist each thread.

There is also a powerful drawing action caused by the nim'en'ient: oi? the adjoiniu arms on the thread, and a powerful current; o1 air which rushes through, and there is also static electricity generated between the liher and the metal, especially if the liber is wool.

The result: of this is that each thread is partly unwound, straightened and loosened up whereby itcan afterwards he more read il separated into its fibers.

The action on knit goods is similar, the tendency of the stroking action of my rerolving; arms being to pull or draw each thread up to the point where it will eventually break or be pulled apart.

As shown, I prefer to use on each shaft, 13 one or more collars or sleeves such as 15 and 17, and the same on the shaft 1 1-, for by making these shalt-s larger the tendency for the ends 01' the threadto wind up is reduced.

I prefer however, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, to have a larger casino and to use two rotary clearers F and G, each of which has star shaped arms 18 or 19, and each of which is carried by a shaft; such as 113 or 114:, on which there may he a collar such as 117, the width of the arm such as 18 and 19 being suliicient to fill in the space between two adjoining arms such as T1 or (31, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and the position of these clearer discs F andG being such, and the length, of the arms being; such that; they reach down almost to the sleeves or collars 1'7. 17 respectively, of shalts 13 and 1 1 These discs F and G are driven in such a direction that: their respective arms will tend to plow oil or scrape and carry forward any "aste which" acciunulates on sleeves 17,;- 17, and throw it into the fan 41. i

They are therefore caused to revolve in the direction of the arrows through the medium respectively of sprocket 100 carried by shaft 13 at the end opposite to gear 23, chain 101, sprocket 102 on shaft 113, and by sprocket 104 carried by shaft 14, chain 105 and sprocket 106 carried by shaft ll l.

I claim:

1. In a machine for separating threads from fabrics, the combination of feed rolls; with two series of loosely interlocking or overlapping star shaped plucking discs revoluble in opposite directions, the arms of each disc being rounded, and the line of first intersection of the armsbeing opposite the nip of the feed rolls; and two starshaped clearer discs each closely interlocking or overlapping a plucking disc and filling the space between its adjoining arms and .revoluble in the same direction with said plucking disc.

2. In a machine for separating threads from fabrics, the combination of feed rolls; with two series of loosely interlocking or overlapping star shaped plucking discs revoluble in opposite directions, the arms of each disc being rounded; and two star shaped clearer discs each closely interlocking or overlapping a plucking disc and filling the space between its adjoining arms and revoluble in the same direction with said plucking disc.

3. In a machine for separating threads from fabrics, the combination of feed rolls; with two series of loosely interlocking or overlapping star shaped plucking discs revoluble in opposite direct-ions, the arms of each disc being rounded.

4. The method of separating threads from fabrics which consists of advancing the edge of the fabric so that it will repeatedly be engaged by upper and lower members which successively exert a loose pinching and pulling action on the threads thereof.

5. A machine for separating threads from fabrics which comprises feed rolls and proximate the delivery side thereof, two series of overlapping star shaped discs revoluble in opposite directions, the arms of each disc being cut off and rounded, the first crossing points of the arms of the two series as the discs revolve being opposite the nip of the feed rolls.

6. In a machine for separating threads from fabric, the combination of feeding mechanism; with two series of loosely, interlocking or overlapping star shaped plucking discs revoluble in opposite directions.

LEINIS IRVINE THOMPSON. 

